Opinion

"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," the latest video-game adaptation, is not likely to change anyone's mind regarding the video-game-as-movie genre. I actually enjoy a few of the hated video-game adaptations, but this film was just a bland experience. It's not terrible, but it's certainly not consistently entertaining.

If you're a voter, you'll be asked in November if you want to help change the Indiana Constitution.

Property-tax caps that have been the subject of numerous news stories, several here and many elsewhere, survived the first of the steps, in 2008 and this year, required to get them into the state's most important document.

I didn't recognize the guy in the pickup truck and while he didn't seem to pay much attention to the activities under way in City Hall Park May 30, his innocent drive-by on the Sunday before Memorial Day helped me. He left me with a new understanding of just how lucky we are to live in a nation where we can do pretty much what we want.

Today is Memorial Day, a day set aside since 1868 to honor and remember our nation's veterans.

Then it was called Decoration Day and was established by an organization of Union veterans called the Grand Army of the Republic.

The first observance was held at Arlington National Cemetery, where officials including Gen. Ulysses S. Grant presided over ceremonies. Children from the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphan Home and members of GAR made their way through the cemetery reciting prayers and singing hymns while putting flowers on Union and Confederate graves.

Not everyone believes in purgatory, that place between heaven and hell where sinners are purged of their wrongdoings.

Though it's been a long time since I sat through a catechism class, Catholics are still taught that purgatory exists and for people like me who harbor more than a few not-yet-atoned-for sins, purgatory sure beats that other place. While the sign over it marks it as a one-way entrance through which people never leave, purgatory isn't a place for all eternity. It's like a busy doctor's office. Eventually your name gets called.

Editor's Note: A Quality of Life Committee working under the auspices of the Perry County Development Corp. is partnering with The News to present the stories of people who have moved to Perry County or who have returned here after several years away. This column was written by Chad James.

In 1991, I moved away from Perry County, excited to begin my college years at Purdue University. The previous 18 years were spent largely with family. My mother had 13 siblings and my father had 11.

The state received a notice early this month that it again earned a failing grade for educating its preschool children.

Because it doesn't.

Indiana's top education officials only recently realized, apparently, that children of kindergarten age can and should be learning, if, that is, the kids want to walk into their first day of first grade without looking, well, uneducated.

In seven years it is projected that people in the world over age 65 will outnumber those under age 5 for the first time in history.

Fortunately for our society, older people in nearly every walk of life are more active and productive than their counterparts were a generation ago. Many say age 60 is the new 40 and age 80 is the new 60, and there is some evidence to back those claims.

Even after all these years of covering commencements, the strains of "Pomp and Circumstance" inspire me with optimism. After all, I have high hopes for this year's group of newly minted graduates.

I look forward each spring to the traditions of covering at least one local commencement. I'll be at Cannelton's ceremony Saturday and Perry Central's on Sunday. I had the pleasure of covering South Spencer High School's commencement exercises this past weekend.

Editor's Note: Cannelton High School student Spencer Herzog wrote this column as part of an English assignment in teacher Eric Harris' class. As Harris points out, Herzog makes a point about being young but interested in current issues and "I think it's always refreshing to see a local student published in the newspaper. It shows the community that there are kids who care about what is happening in the world."

We're confident the Spencer County Board of Zoning Appeals will eventually make the right decision on whether or not to grant ThyssenKrupp Waupaca a special-exception permit to operate a monofill in Huff Township.

"Our view," (The News' editorial) May 10 is a good example of why with this upcoming election in November people need to read and listen to several sources to get a complete story. The editorial repeats several distortions that have come out of the opposition to Arizona's new law on illegal immigration.

“Iron Man” was a bit of a surprise for me when it came out in 2008. I’ve always been more of an X-Men and Batman fan, so I went to check it out with fairly low expectations. When I walked out of the theater I had become a fan of Tony Stark. The first movie had plenty of action, wit and fun. Most importantly, “Iron Man” was a film that featured a near-perfect performance from Robert Downey Jr. and it was a film that didn’t take itself too seriously. I’m happy to say that all of the above applies to “Iron Man 2.”

I just read the April 26 editorial regarding last year's attempt to raise taxes for school renovation and repair. Your paper stated people should have solid reasons for opposing the referendum. No new taxes is reason enough, but there are others. Your article also stated no one openly opposed the referendum. I opposed it in writing in this paper. Incidentally, my article received many supporting comments. This year, 55 percent of my property tax bill is for school funding. The school tax increased 23.35 percent from 2009 to 2010.

I wish to share my concerns with the direction and focus of our state and its leaders. I am a retired school superintendent of 25 years who also served as executive director of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents from 1998 through 2004. Based on my experiences, our legislators are very good people, honest, hard working and committed to their work on behalf of their constituents. But, I am growing increasingly frustrated with the results of their actions.